I was on my third mocha and the highlighter was practically singeing the page of my textbook as I swiped it across the important words. Or, at least, words I hoped would be important when it came time to take the test.
I was but a mere twenty-four hours from my last final of the term, which meant spring break was right around the corner. Not only spring break, but the first spring break where I was legally allowed to walk into a club and purchase and consume alcohol. It was on par to be the best spring break ever. All I had to do was make it through one more test.
My phone buzzed on the table so I flipped it over and read a text from Becca.
**Officially on spring break, bitches.**
It was a group text between Holly, Becca, and me. Holly and I went to the same school, but Becca had opted to go to a college out of state. It had been sad to drift away from each other physically, but honestly, we saw each other often. She always came home for breaks and summers, so I really only ever went about two months without her.
**When does your flight land?**
That was from Holly. She’d volunteered to pick Becca up from the airport as she was finished with finals already. The three of us would spend the first weekend in town, hit all the bars we’d been sneaking into for three years, and then drive home to spend the rest of the week with our families and other friends home for the break.
**8:30 pm.**
**I hate that I can’t hang out tonight. You guys have to have a terrible time since I’ll be stuck at home studying still.**
**We’ll make sure to party enough to make up for your absence.**
Becca’s good mood was evident in her text, and I smiled, knowing how good it would feel tomorrow to be completely done for a whole week.
**Get back to studying. We’ll pick you up tomorrow night and the first round is on me.**
I knew I’d kept Holly as a friend for a reason. I turned my phone over, using the same logic that never proved to be true—that if I couldn’t see the screen I wouldn’t be tempted to pick it up—but I was determined to ace this test.
Tequila shots be damned.
I decided more coffee was necessary so I grabbed my wallet and walked toward the counter. I was sure the barista would turn me away, citing some sort of caffeinating limit I’d reached with my ninth shot in my last drink, but she simply took my order and then made my drink. I waited at the designated spot where everyone stood to receive their drinks, and when my drink was ready I steeled myself for another few hours of heavy cramming. Eventually, I’d move my study party to the library. But for now I would go back to my corner, put in my headphones, and try to focus.
I turned and only two steps into my journey back to my corner, my eyes fell upon him and my body simply stopped. As if I’d hit a brick wall. As if the connection from my brain to my legs had been severed. And it felt as though everyone else stood still too. The whole world came crashing to a halt.
Including Hayes.
Who was standing not ten feet away from me.
He looked just as uncomfortable as me, but he also looked something like sad.
Eventually the world started spinning again and my heart thumped back to life, but I was still stuck in my spot, completely unaware of how I was supposed to proceed. For months after he’d left, I’d looked for him everywhere. Every time I drove past his house I wondered if he was in it. At the movies, at the mall, I constantly was looking at every young, dark-haired guy, waiting to someday see him just appear. But once I moved away for college, I’d stopped. I knew he’d spent years on this campus, but I’d only been to two places with him, really. One bar and his apartment. Both places I avoided at all costs. We’d been in this coffee shop together, for a just a minute or two, but I’d convinced myself it was dumb to lose out on such a great study site just because once he and I breathed the same air there.
I was now regretting that decision.
He started walking to me and my brain shut down. It was just Hayes, slowly coming toward me, but he might as well have been wielding an axe for the fear it caused. He could do less damage with an axe in the long run.
“McKenzie,” he said as he came to stop in front of me. His voice washed over me and I nearly shivered. It was strange the way his voice traveled along my spine and the unfamiliar feeling, the unfamiliar sound of him, simply could have knocked me over. He smiled a friendly but uncomfortable smile and said, “I figured I would run into you sooner or later.”
My eyebrows drew in as confusion took over. My mouth gaped, but I wasn’t able to form words yet.
“How’ve you been?” he asked, seeming to be genuinely curious.
How’ve I been? I had no response. I was still trying to figure out which dimension I’d transported into. He took another step toward me and I managed to close my mouth, my eyes still locked on his.